My little monkey-bean

I was bouncing Josie on the bed the other day - holding her hands to help her achieve greater height - as she giggled and smiled at me and said, "again?" every time I stopped.  I can't really do it with Zeke anymore because he's getting so big.  But Josie is still such a peanut.  The right height for her age, but definitely on the skinny side -- she might have crossed the 20 lb. mark recently, placing her solidly in the 1st percentile for her age.  So it's easy for me to rough-house with her as she squeals with glee.

As we were playing and laughing, I was thinking back to my surprise and (mild) consternation when I was pregnant with her and learned that she was a girl.  How I was kind of hoping for a boy because I already had one and felt like I "got" little boys.  How I was nervous about her growing up to be an evil teenager. 

So stupid on my part (not the evil teenager part -- that will undoubtedly play itself out and I'll just have to deal). 

Because I love her little girly tendencies.  Her love of baby dolls, for example.  She has a couple of them at home, plus there's a box of them she plays with at school, and she walks around holding Baby or sitting with it and patting its back or using a towel or a cloth napkin to swaddle Baby and then rock it from side to side.  Sometimes she'll hand Baby off, and if you're the recipient, you had better hold Baby up to your shoulder and gently and soothingly pat her on the back like you're burping her, because if you hand her back to Josie without having done it right, Josie will hand her right back for you to try again.

And she's so sweet and happy and snuggly.  She loves to sit on my lap just so, holding Baby, while we read a book or watch Elmo.  She loves to play "chase" through the house, making the loop through the front hall to the dining room through the kitchen to the living room and back to the front hall. 

It's so much fun, and so gratifying, to see her with Zeke.  They adore each other.  They bathe together every night, splashing and giggling.  He shows her his books and they stand at the front window and look out while he explains what they're looking at.  They give each other hugs while they say, "awwww" and pat each other on the back. 

He's teaching her how to talk.  "Jo-Jo, say 'flower'!"  "Flaw!"  "Say 'window'!"  "Winnow"  He goes to her classroom every day at school to check up on her, see how she's doing and give her a kiss.

After having Zeke, I always thought, "little boys are the best.  They love their mothers.  They're hilarious and sweet and wonderful."

Now I look at Josie and think, "little girls are the best.  They love their mothers.  They're hilarious and sweet and wonderful."

Maybe I'm just blessed with great kids.